exi

Been a lurker on the forum for a little while.

Looking to purchase a used car this week. For the most part, I'm between a 2010 E350 coupe and an '11 Infiniti G37 coupe. Test drove both today. Yes, I realize I'm on an MB forum.

They're both optioned well, though the G37 has a leg up (backup camera, parking sonar, unsure if music register is slightly larger, HID lighting). The G37 has a bit more pep; the MB, a bit more composure.

I like the exterior and interior design of both, though the MB has a pretty imposing look.

Not sure I noticed an appreciable difference in road noise between the two, though the MB has a slightly smoother ride over expansion joints and rougher pavement.

I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who considered both cars at one point or another.

ScottNJ

When I was car shopping I really liked the G37 coupe at one point but changed my mine. Both cars have nice exterior styling but the mercedes is definitely nicer. They have similar power but the E class is definitely way more luxurious. Also, when I see a G37 coupe I expect to see a young kid driving and most of the time that's the case because the car has a reputation for being a d-bag car. No one looks at an Infiniti the same way they look at mercedes, there's just something special about mercedes, I'd rather say that I own and drive a mercedes than an Infiniti. Remember that its just a more luxurious Nissan 370z. Another thing that turned me away from the Infiniti is that you feel every single little imperfection in the road. You're also comparing a superior German car to a jap car. If both are in your price range, I highly recommend the e coupe because my cabriolet has been 100% reliable and fun to drive.

steelgrey

I own a 2010 E Coupe and also a 2003 Infiniti G35 Coupe. They are very different cars. If you are looking for performance the G37 has 328 HP while the E has 268. As mentioned above underneath the sheetmetal the G37 is basically a Z car. That is not a negative in fact it provides the G with sports car handling. Now if you are looking for what I consider to be the best looking affordable coupe on the market today the E should be your choice. It truely is a great car. It performs well, handles well and has a great luxurious interior. On the interstate it cruises so comfortably that you really need to keep checking the speedo or you'll be at 80 and not even notice. For twisty roads it has a sports mode which firms up the suspension allows accelerating to the redline (I have the paddle shifters so I can manually shift you can also use the shifter but the paddles are more fun) and the steering becomes a little heavier. My only complaint is that in normal mode the steering is a little lite for my tastes. I love my G35 and have nicknamed it the Beast because of it's the raucous exhaust, brutal acceleration and heavy handling and yes it rides like a sports car. But you just can't beat a Mercedes. Oh by the way I forgot that the two cars are very similar in size. Because of the design the E coupe looks longer but when parked side by size in the garage with the g they are about the same size.

ScottNJ

How do you have a 2002 G35 coupe when 2004 is the first year Infiniti made the G35?

steelgrey

Sorry, I purchased the coupe in 2002 it is a 2003 which was the first model year for the G35 Coupe not 2004.

exi

As it turned out, the G37 I would have probably otherwise bought actually sold the day I looked at it, the afternoon I went home to stupidly weigh the two against each other. The car had been on the lot for months.

Circumstances were such that I had to pick something up within the next day or so, and I picked up the E350. My previous car was far more "edgy" to drive in terms of performance numbers, and I'm a pretty young guy, so this is taking some getting used to!

Is there a guide to hardwiring a Valentine One to a switched power wire floating around here that I haven't found yet?

Only pic to date:

steelgrey

Sorry about the G37 it would definitely have given you more edgy performance. Give the Benz a chance though. It may surprise you. The Benz actually starts out in second gear normally so don't hesitate to put your foot into it. At least you got what I consider to be the best color. My 2003 G35 was bought when they first started showing up at the dealers. Bought it as a retirement present for myself (retired at 55) it currently has 22,284 miles on it. It's really a ten year old new car. Go to the W212 forum and do a search for SprintBooster it's a $300 plug in that might add a little edge to the Benz there are a bunch of sedan guys who are using them. I've been running one on the G and it functions as advertised.

boylston

That's a nice picture of the E and G side-by-side. The G looks taller. How would you compare the interior space of the cars? Thanks!

steelgrey

The interior space on both cars is about the same. The great thing about both cars is that the have a fold down rear seat which really gives you more room. You have to remember here that the G Coupe is a 2003 and the Benz is a 2010. I've got to tell you though that I love my G35 Coupe. It is raw, loud, and fells much more like a sportscar than the E. However, the E is more sophisticed a much more refined ride and a really great car. But, I will never sell my 2003 Coupe with 22,450 miles.

Kirkster

I am currently leasing a 11' G 37XS coupe and have really enjoyed my time with it. I have decided to go with a 2014 E550 coupe. I have no idea what I'm getting into with the 550 coupe because there aren't any here and i probably wont get a chance to before heading over to Germany to pick mine up. I have detailed out a couple of things about the G coupe I don't like and hopefully that will add some context to things.

- Road/Tire and wind noise are pretty abundant. it's really distracting. Different tires may soon solve that part, but i've had the car back a couple of times for the wind/water leaks from poor sealing on the drivers side, but either the dealer can't or is unwilling to fix it.

- Infiniti in general has very poor customer service. They seem to be ok with aleinating customers at the risk of future sales. I'll never buy another car from them because of it. This is my second infiniti from different dealers and they are just ****ty to customers in general. this goes for corporate customer service too. It's in the culture of how they operate. no thanks..

- The technologhy of the '11 is pretty lacking. Poor nav/traffic interface. Voice control is very poor and bluetooth integration is pretty spotty.

- Crappy paint. The 11's came with scratch sheild paint and while surface scratches fix themselves, the paint is generally soft and tends to chip easily.

What I do like are the great handling, gobs of power and is very fun to drive. The car is gorgeous to look at. Mine is black and is stunning. The car has this awsome exhaust tone that gets me a lot of complements.